School of Public Policy

Abstract:

Intense competition over use of Colorado River Basin water resources has been a reality for over a century. With ever increasing demands and the prospect of diminishing flows, questions of allocation across different sectors and political divisions, and across time, become more economically consequential with each passing year. While the past quarter century has brought substantial institutional adaptation to address these challenges, many opportunities to improve outcomes remain. In this seminar Dr. Booker covered his recent work on future reservoir levels and available surface water supplies. He then summarized a variety of traditional and innovative approaches for managing allocation between the competing users of rival and nonrival Basin water resources. He concluded with a qualitative assessment of the differing economic consequences of the choices which lie ahead.

Bio:

James Booker is an economist who has worked for almost three decades on the management, evaluation, and development of sustainable water use portfolios. Professor of Economics at Siena College, he served for eight years as Department Chair, and is the winner of the College’s Matthew T. Conlin award for service. He has been a visiting professor and scholar at the University of Wyoming, Kalamazoo College, the University of Colorado, and with the International Water Management Institute in Laos. A student of Robert A. Young at Colorado State University, his dissertation anticipated current challenges and opportunities in managing Colorado River water. His co-authored publications include “Water Crisis in India” in the Case Research Journal, a review article in Natural Resources Modeling covering 25 years of advances in the modeling of water resources, and most recently in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association examines water allocation over time on a climate influenced Colorado River. Recently relocated to the Tualitan River watershed in Oregon, he kayaks the local waterways and explores hiking trails in his community and beyond.